Grilling a Steak in 5 Easy Steps!
Hello again dear friends and customers! If you’re new here, welcome! If you’re a seasoned veteran of ours, welcome back!
Enough of you have come into us asking for our help regarding the grilling department, so It’s about time these instructions are inscribed here on our website. For us this stuff is second nature, so we’re going to make it super simple as always we love your feedback!
Here’s the deal, grill masters you’re going to have to sit this one out and attempt to be as patient as possible with some of our rookies, this article might not be for you. However, If you’re open to a classic method of grilling steaks by all means, let it rip and fire away.
I’m going to speak to the crowd who might get woozy thinking about the idea of grilling anything, I’m here to say this article is definitely going to be for you.
Grilling can be multifaceted in many ways but as always we’re here to have fun and get creative with our cooking. That’s what it’s all about for us, “reverse sous vide” WHAT?!?
I’m here to say throw it all out the window we’re going back to the basics.
P.T.’s bomb proof way to grill a steak in 5 simple steps:
Or how Pasquale likes to put it “it’s so easy a monkey could do it”, I do sometimes think to myself how some of us foster the ability to over-complicate anything…I digress, here they are! :)
A few things to keep in mind:
Verbiage:
Direct Heat: Highest heat the steak is cooked on; steak is directly placed on top of heat.
Indirect Heat: Lower constant heat; steak is indirectly cooked from heath within the container it is being cooked with.
Equipment:
It’s important to know that when you’re preparing your meat knowing your type of grill is similar to understanding how your car works before you head out on a long road trip. This might seem a bit redundant but not heating to the desired temperature can make your experience miserable. Know your grill before you cook.
Charcoal you’ll want to prepare the coals for the sears. Your best bet to ensure proper indirect/direct is to hill the charcoal onto one side. Hilled side is direct. Un-hilled side is your indirect.
Propane/Gas grills you’ll want to heat in your normal procedure. Desired initial direct temperature is 500+ degrees. For the indirect you can turn it off or lower down to 200-250 degrees.
Wood pellet grills operate similarly to propane/gas grills so aim for the same direct temperature 500+ degrees and the same indirect temperature 200-250 degrees.
I personally love cast iron grill pans so the cooking instructions below are equally as applicable. High heat on the cast iron and you can either go indirect off of the heat and cover the steak with foil or a lid. OR you can place your cast iron pan into the oven to finish your indirect. Finishing in the oven at about 250 degrees will ensure an even indirect. I use both methods for me it depends on how much time I have (which is never enough :D).
NOTE: We’re looking for a HOT direct sear initially so crank your grill up high heat.
Environment
Temperature can make or break your grilling experience entirely. If it’s cold and/or windy make sure you add time to ensure your sear is effective. The goal is to maintain a constant heat, if you feel that the grill is not maintaining proper temperature you’ll need to add more time or more heat depending upon your conditions.
Type of Steak
The type of steak is going to determine timing. For the most part we’re going to assume ideal conditions and a steak about 1 ¼ inches thick because that tends to be the standard size steak that feeds about 2 people. If the steak is thicker you might want to consider increasing your time on the direct and indirect cooking.
Grilling steps are as follows:
Prior to grilling, season your steak and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes (watch your animals, we’ve heard some of the best horror stories). Ideally, your steak should be dry and room temperature before placed onto the direct heat from your grill. Preheat the grill to ~500 degrees.
We like to flip our steaks in 2 minute increments for a beautiful cross-char. Flip 3 times ensuring you’re placing on opposite sides for the X on each side. 8 minutes direct heat total (again, this is assuming ideal grilling conditions on a gas grill with a 1 ¼ in steak).
Go indirect (either turn off your grill or put steak on the prepared indirect method) for another 8 minutes no need to flip unless you want to but do keep in mind every time you open your grill you’re losing heat. Remember the name of the game is to maintain CONSTANT temperature within the steak.
Altogether, you’re looking at 16 minutes total for a medium rare steak. If you desire rare, go 6 minutes on the indirect. If you desire medium well, 9 minutes on the indirect. Finally, for those of us that like burnt steak (kidding, kidding) if you desire well-done, 10 minutes on the indirect.
Let your steak sit for about 5 minutes, as it will continue to cook.. Cut your steak against the grain and enjoy! *chef’s kiss*
As always we’d love to hear from you and we always welcome your feedback. Tag us on our socials the best tag wins a Wayside Swag bag with some of our favorite goodies!
Happy Grilling and Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours!